FAZER LOGIN[Olivia’s pov]The city lights blurred past the tinted windows in long streaks of gold and white, but my mind barely registered.I sat rigidly in the backseat, my fingers curled tightly over the fabric, while the other hand rested instinctively over my stomach.I shifted slightly, trying to ease the ache in my lower back. Immediately, Carter’s head turned. “Are you alright?”For a second, I just stared at him. He looked almost irritated at himself for asking. “I’m fine,” I murmured.His gaze dropped briefly to my stomach before he looked away. The gesture was so fleeting I might have imagined it.Before either of us could speak again, the car jerked violently. I gasped as my body pitched forward.Carter’s arm shot across my chest instantly, stopping me from slamming into the seat ahead.The tires screeched. The driver cursed. “What the hell—” The car came to a hard stop.My pulse exploded.“What happened?” Elara snapped.The driver’s voice trembled. “There’s a vehicle blocking the roa
[Carter’s pov]The second I stepped out of my father’s study, my blood was boiling. My whole life was a complete lie!I drove to the hospital to talk to Olivia.She was all I cared about.I strode down the corridor with Mallory’s words still ringing in my ears. Olivia won’t agree to it unless I force the issue.At first, I wanted to argue to make her stay at the Velcro manor.Olivia had been through enough already. The last thing she needed was me barking orders at her like some tyrant who thought control could fix everything.But then I thought about Camilla.About the possibility, however small….that she could get anywhere near Olivia.Near my child.By the time I reached Olivia’s room, I didn’t bother knocking.nI shoved the door open hard enough for it to slam against the wall.Both Olivia and Mallory snapped their heads toward me.Mallory stood near the bed, she was grabbing her bag to leave. Olivia sat propped against the pillows, one hand resting protectively over the slight cur
[Olivia’s pov]The antiseptic scent of the hospital room had started to crawl under my skin.It was clean, sharp, and cold. The kind of smell that reminded you too much of sickness and too little of healing. Fuck you, Homer!I shifted against the stiff mattress, one hand resting protectively over my stomach. The movement was instinctive now and constant.As though if I kept my palm there long enough, I could shield my baby from everything waiting beyond these hospital walls.Across from me, Mallory stood near the window with her arms folded tightly across her chest. We chatted a bit and then Homer brought me to the hospital.Just how Carter wanted.She turned as soon as I woke up. Her eyes were fixed on me with unmistakable concern. “Olivia,” she said again, her tone gentler this time, though no less firm. “You should go back to the manor.”I sighed.We had been having this exact conversation for the last fifteen minutes.“No.”Her brows drew together. “Olivia—”“I said no.”She exha
[Carter’s pov]The moment I stormed into my father’s study, I knew I’d crossed a line.But I didn’t care.He didn’t even look surprised to see me.That irritated me more.He simply lifted his gaze from the papers in front of him. Then he leaned back in his leather chair and sighed. Just irritation like I was a mildly inconvenient interruption to his evening.“Carter.” His voice was smooth, measured and deadly calm. “You cannot simply barge into my study and speak to me in that tone.”I strode toward the desk, every muscle rigid. “You knew.”His brows lifted faintly. “Lower your voice.”The sheer audacity of it nearly made me laugh. “No.” Something dark flickered in his expression. He rose slowly from his chair, straightening to his full height.His hands rested lightly against the edge of the desk. “And what exactly gives you the right to storm in here making demands?” His lip curled. “You own nothing.” The words landed like a slap. For a split second, silence swallowed the room. The
[Carter’s pov]The moment I stepped out of the bedroom, I forced myself to breathe. Because if I didn’t, I was going to lose control.And right now, losing control was the one thing I couldn’t afford.The hallway outside my room was unnaturally quiet. The kind of silence that always settled over the Velcro mansion after a storm had passed but before the real damage had been assessed.Behind me, Olivia was safe. Mallory was with her. That thought was the only thing keeping my rage contained.I tightened my grip around my phone as I walked toward the staircase, already scrolling to Homer’s number.I needed him here.I needed him to examine Olivia, reassure me that she and the baby were alright. Maybe if I was being brutally honest, give me one rational reason not to march straight back to Camilla’s room and tear apart every lie she’d ever fed me.I had just ended the call when a voice stopped me cold.“Carter.”My spine stiffened instantly. I didn’t need to turn around to know who it w
[Olivia’s pov]“I’m fine.” It was probably the fifth time I had said it in less than two minutes. Before Carter went out of the room. I had to practically force him out.And judging by the expression on Carter’s face, he believed me less with every repetition. “Olivia, you know me.”The way he said my name low, clipped, threaded with frustration, made it clear he was reaching the end of his patience.I sighed and looked up at him from the sofa. “I mean it,” I insisted. “Camilla didn’t touch me.”He was already shaking his head before I had even finished. “That isn’t the point.”“Then what is?”“The point,” he said, crouching in front of me again, “is that you’re pregnant, you’ve just been threatened, and she nearly shoved you.”His jaw tightened visibly. “And until a doctor tells me everything is fine, I’m not taking chances.”The intensity in his voice stole any immediate argument from my lips. It wasn’t anger, It wasn’t control either. It was fear. The kind that made his hands tense
[Carte Velcro]The party dissolved into silence long after the last guest left. One by one, the lights dimmed, the laughter faded, and the house returned to its hollow grandeur. The friend who had invited Camilla dropped her home, and I stayed back—for my mother. Father was out of town, and Olivia
[Olivia Jude Velcro]“You have to come with me tonight, Olivia. Please.”The word ‘please’ tasted foreign on my tongue, but I meant it. I needed her there with me as my wife. Where she had always belonged. Somewhere deep inside, a foolish hope flickered that if I could just get her to stay beside m
[Olivia’s pov]The room felt like it had stopped breathing.Just like I did silently.Camilla stood in front of me, the wine bottle raised in her hand. I glanced at her once again, pleading with my eyes that she stops. Meanwhile, Camilla had made it clear with her threat that she held so many grud
[Carter’s pov]Then there was silence. I could not speak anything. My mind struggled to catch up.“That’s not—” I shook my head instinctively. “That doesn’t make sense. How could Candice even do something so gruesome like this?” I denied. Not that I was worried that perhaps Olivia was lying to m







